Asia Cup 2025: Ashwin issues Saim, Haris warning

Former Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has issued Saim Ayub and Mohammad Haris warning to the Indian cricket team ahead of their anticipated clash against arch-rivals Pakistan.

The blockbuster Asia Cup 2025 tie is scheduled to take place at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday.

Speaking on his YouTube channel during a pre-match analysis, Ashwin highlighted two Pakistan batters who could hurt India.

“From Pakistan’s side, the two players I’m most excited to watch are Mohammad Haris and Saim Ayub. I want to see how they handle the Indian bowling attack. If both of them bat well, then Pakistan will have a decent chance,” Ashwin remarked.

Moreover, the 38-year-old believes that spinner Sufiyan Muqeem could turn out to be an unexpected hero for Pakistan.

“As for an hero from Pakistan, it could be Sufiyan Muqeem. He didn’t bowl that well in the last game and he’s a bit inconsistent, which makes things tricky in T20 cricket. But I’m curious to see how Pakistan grooms him and how he approaches the game, so I’ll be watching closely to see how he performs,” he added.

It’s worth noting that the hype surrounding the fixture is at its peak, with both sides entering the contest in strong form.

In head-to-head T20I history, India hold the edge with 10 wins in 13 encounters.

Their last meeting in the format was during the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 in New York, where Rohit Sharma’s men prevailed in a tense, low-scoring contest against Babar Azam’s side.